PLEASANT HILL — After weeks of unheeded warnings that Poets Corner residents were rapidly depleting their canal water allotment, the pumps will be shut down.

The Diablo Vista Water System is turning off the pumps today and July 30. Also, water will be available from 6 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Tuesday.

The City Council approved the new schedule Monday.

Diablo Vista customers increased their water use dramatically when temperatures hit the triple digits during the final week of June.

By Wednesday, residents had used about 7.3 million gallons of water this month, leaving just 910,685 gallons to cover the remaining four days of watering.

At the meeting, Steve Zalewski, chairman of the Diablo Vista advisory board, asked the council to develop a better way to handle the rationing next month, when the system is going to receive less water from the Contra Costa Water District.

“If we continue on the path we are on, for every two days of running the pumps we’re using three days worth of water,” he said.

“This isn’t working; we need to come up with a new set of regulations.”

The Diablo Vista advisory board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall to discuss the rationing program, water consumption and conservation efforts.

The council will consider changes to the program at a special meeting at 7:30 p.m. July 30.

Last month, the City Council approved a rationing program that gave Poets Corner residents access to water 60 hours per week.

After residents used a third of the July allocation in just three watering days, the advisory board decided to turn off the pumps for eight hours per day.

Councilwoman Terri Williamson, who lives in Poets Corner, said people need to understand that soaking their lawns with an inch of water once or twice a week is plenty in cooler weather.

“It might be a useful use of some spare funds to provide mechanical timers for some folks,” she said.

“A lot of people on the system have it set up so they’re on automatic watering, and all they really need to do is to find out how much time it takes to get that inch of water.”

Residents are invited to an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Diablo Vista pump house, south of Boyd Road along the canal trail.

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